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The woman was approached by a man as she walked along Quarry Street in New Stevenston

Detectives are investigating an assault on a woman in North Lanarkshire which they say may have had a sexual motive.

The 23-year-old was attacked in New Stevenston, Motherwell, in the early hours of Monday.

She was approached by a man as she walked along Quarry Street between 02:00 and 03:00. Her next recollection is waking up on the ground injured and bruised.

Police have urged anyone with information to come forward.

Detectives said she made her way to a friend's house nearby and called police.

She was then taken to Wishaw General Hospital and was released after treatment.

Det Insp Julie Mullen said: "At this time the young woman doesn't know how she came about her injuries - she just remembers being approached by a man at an entrance to the parkland on Quarry Street and then waking up with a head injury and bruised.

"Officers have still to establish what happened to her but one line of inquiry is that there may have been a sexual motive to the attack - but this has still to be confirmed.

"Extensive inquiries are under way to establish the full circumstances of the incident. It is absolutely imperative that we speak to anyone who was in the surrounding area in the early hours of Monday morning."

She added: "If you were there, whether you think you saw anything or not, please come forward as something you may not believe to be important could prove vital to our investigation."